El Patojismo, ONG
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Mission Statement
We want our graduating students to understand their community's history and know how they can improve their lives and the lives of their families. Through education, critical thinking, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and teaching them how they can overcome obstacles by accessing accurate information about services that are available to them we can change the path of thousands of lives. We want them to learn to persevere to bring back dignity, hope, and success into their lives.
About This Cause
In Guatemala, where 45% of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition and only 40% finish grade 6, along with one of the highest crime rates in Central America and a broken medical and educational system, our students face many challenges. In addition, only 15% of the country reported having internet access in their homes, which is and was a delay for the learning process of millions of Guatemalans during the last three years of the pandemic. Living in Jocotenango, where violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, endemic poverty, racism, and homophobia prevail, the lives and opportunities of these children are seriously affected. We are building a new future for children and youth in our area. For 17 years, El Patojismo has developed a unique holistic approach to educating more than 500 children and youth each year in Jocotenango, Guatemala. The program addresses the nutritional, medical, and educational needs of each child, and also offers English, music, sports, arts, technology, cooking, and technical workshops as an introduction to tourism management, entrepreneurship, barista, etc., during the high school stage. Graduating young people will have the skills that will help them apply for jobs with fair wages, go to university, or start their own small businesses. The technical workshops and extracurricular classes give them the space and the opportunity to experiment and learn about different topics, which leads them to find passion and direction toward how they would like to develop professionally. The students will be a new generation that can stay in their country and make a lasting change. This last year, we added comprehensive sexuality education, access to menstrual products, and dignified and safe management of menstruation to our curriculum and our comprehensive approach as an organization. We also implemented a safe space to provide access to responsible information on sexual diversity and gender. Education is the key for each person to be responsible for their own history. El Patojismo's holistic approach provides more than 675 nutritious meals daily and free medical care and psychological clinics for students, their families, and our workforce. The educational program is unique because it is taught by teachers who inspire with love, respect, and empowerment. The environment is a safe place where students learn to think critically, engage positively in academic areas, and have access to their whole health at the same time. Achievements: - Creation of the Project 2006 - Implementation of the nutrition and food project in 2006. - Implementation of the medical clinic in 2012. - Construction of the first school "El Semillero" in 2014 with the authorization of the Ministry of National Education. - Construction of the second school "CDO" Opportunity Center 2022 with authorization from the Ministry of National Education. - Creation and implementation of the mental health program and foundation of the psychological clinic in the year 2023. - Access to education, health, nutrition, recreation, and sports to more than 20,000 participants in the last 17 years. - Recognition of our work internationally as one of the most important social projects in Latin America according to the "CNN Heroes" contest in 2014. - National model for the prevention of violence. - National model in terms of tactical urban planning to recover public spaces. - Generation of jobs and activation of local/municipal economies in the last 17 years, - The creation of "extracurricular" projects in defense of human rights in the formats of race and gender. (Creation of the LGBTQIA + community support program) - Creation of sports schools (soccer, basketball, chess, boxing, swimming.) - Creation and management of dozens of artistic, musical, and cultural festivals. - Graduation for our senior students in Bachelor of Sciences and Letters. - Creation of three pre-university technical programs: cooking, coffee, and hospitality. Changes: The changes have been positive and visible. The recovery of two conflictive and abandoned areas transformed into safe areas with the construction and responsible urban development through the two schools/centers at the service of Guatemalan families, youth, and children. Violence and crime rates were significantly reduced in the sectors where we built the centers, generating security, new economies, and more mobility and connectivity between two municipalities: Jocotenango and Antigua Guatemala. There has been a significant reduction of intra-family violence in the community we serve, due to the permanent sensitization and accompaniment of the educational teams, of integral health, and in general working towards a better future for the families and the participants. There has been an increase in school participation in our schools. Every year, school dropout decreases because decent and quality services are offered to ensure that education works, once immediate basic needs such as health and nutrition are covered. Patojismo becomes a methodology rather than a social project. The increase in the improvement in mental health, motivation, identity, and confidence ensures that the participants (youth platforms) are professionally prepared to get involved in the different economic, social, and cultural areas of their municipalities as agents of change and citizens committed to rebuilding the local social fabric.